Norway passport photo
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The requirements
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Head height, chin to crown | 65-75% The police quality requirements show a correct example captioned that the head covers about 70 percent of the image. No millimetre range is published, because the police take the picture in their own biometric kiosk. The band above is that single published figure with a five point tolerance either side, which is our reading, not theirs. |
| Background | Plain white screen used in the police biometric kiosk; the background must be evenly lit |
| Glasses | Not allowed. Remove them for the photo. |
| Expression | Neutral, mouth closed, both eyes open. |
| Head covering | Only for religious or medical reasons, and the face must be visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead. |
| Ears | Yes |
| Also required |
|
Norway photographs the applicant at the pass- og ID-kontor; for an ordinary passport or national ID card you must not bring a photo. The one exception is the emergency passport (nodpass), where you bring a colour photo taken by a photographer or in a photo booth that meets the police facial photo requirements. All rules, the white background and the head-size hint come from the police quality requirements, which are official. The printed 35x45 mm size is NOT published by Politiet: it is the ICAO and EU size that Norwegian photographers and photo booths produce, and it is the size to use for a nodpass photo or for foreign applications. That unsourced number is the only reason this spec is marked secondary rather than official.
Applying in Norway
Norway photographs you in its own biometric kiosk, and it says so without qualification: you must not bring your own photo for a passport or a national identity card, and that applies to everyone, children included. The picture is taken at the pass- og ID-kontor when you attend your appointment, in front of a plain white screen, with the lighting fixed. Nothing you prepare at home is used for either document.
There is exactly one case where you do bring a photograph, and it is worth knowing before you need it. For a nodpass, the emergency passport, you supply a colour photo taken by a photographer or in a photo booth that meets the police facial photo requirements. That is the document issued when you have to travel and cannot wait, and as of 1 January 2026 it costs 1,320 kroner at any age, against 840 for an ordinary passport from sixteen and 510 below.
The published requirements are stricter about what has to be visible than most. Both eyes, both eyebrows and both ears must be fully visible, and the instruction says to pull hair behind the ears. Scarves, bags and outer clothing come off before the picture is taken. Glasses are not allowed at all. The head should cover about 70 percent of the image, which is the only framing figure the police publish, and no millimetre range exists because no print is submitted.
Why photos get rejected here
Arriving with a photograph for an ordinary passport
The police are explicit that you must not bring one. The kiosk takes the picture, so a studio sitting before the appointment is money spent on nothing unless you are applying for an emergency passport.
Hair over an ear or an eyebrow
Both ears and both eyebrows must be fully visible, and the instruction to pull hair behind the ears is published rather than implied. A fringe and a long side parting each break it.
Glasses
Norway excludes them outright, with no glare-free exception of the kind Denmark and Sweden publish. If you wear them daily, expect to take them off at the kiosk and to see a photograph that looks less like your ordinary face.
A scarf, a bag strap or a coat still on
Outer clothing, scarves and bags are removed before the photograph. A strap across a shoulder or a raised collar is the sort of thing people forget while concentrating on their expression.
A covering pulled tight across the face
A religious head covering must not cover any part of the face or more of the head than necessary, and it must not be so tight that it changes the natural shape of the face. That last clause is unusual and is the one worth adjusting before your turn.
A parent visible behind a baby
A parent may hold the child, or hold a portable white screen against their chest with the baby in front of it, but no part of the parent may appear in the picture. An arm or a sleeve at the edge is the usual reason for a retake.
What helps
Prepare yourself, not a file
Hair behind the ears, no glasses, no scarf, no coat. Everything that decides the Norwegian photograph happens in the five minutes before your appointment.
Take glasses off before you go in
They are not permitted, and pads leave marks on the nose for a few minutes. Removing them in the waiting room is better than at the kiosk.
Ask for a portable white screen with a baby
The police describe the method themselves: hold the screen against your chest with the child in front of it. It works better than trying to sit an infant in front of the fixed screen.
Take the combined discount if you want both documents
A passport and a national identity card together are 1,340 kroner from sixteen, against 1,680 bought separately, a 20 percent reduction. The discount does not apply to an emergency passport or an extra passport.
Know what a nodpass costs before you need one
1,320 kroner at any age as of 1 January 2026, more than an ordinary adult passport, and it is the only route where you supply the photograph yourself.
Use this page for a nodpass or for foreign applications
A Norwegian-style print is what an emergency passport takes, and what other authorities ask Norwegian residents for. That is the job our export does here.
Babies and young children
Babies are photographed at the police office like everyone else, in front of a white screen, and they must have their eyes open. The police publish the method for holding them, which is the useful part: a parent may hold the child, or hold a portable white screen against their own chest with the baby in front of it, but no part of the parent may appear in the picture. The same requirements otherwise apply to children as to adults, and the picture is taken in the biometric kiosk. A passport for a child under sixteen costs 510 kroner as of 1 January 2026, and a national identity card 510 below the age of ten.
Glasses
Glasses are not allowed. Norway publishes no glare-free exception and no medical wording of the kind Denmark, Sweden and Finland each provide, so the rule is absolute for the ordinary passport and identity card. Our tool treats a detected pair as a warning rather than a failure, because it cannot know the country you are applying in; for Norway you should read it as a failure. The practical consequence is one to prepare for rather than to argue with: your document photograph will not look like your everyday face, and border officers are used to that.
Head covering
A head covering worn for religious or other special reasons is accepted, and the Norwegian conditions are more specific than the usual formula. It must not cover any part of the face. It must not cover more of the head than necessary. And it must not be so tight that it changes the natural shape of the face, which is a clause we have not seen published anywhere else and which points at a wrap pulled hard across the skull. Since the picture is taken in the kiosk, an officer will ask you to adjust rather than refuse the application. No written declaration is mentioned.
Applying online
Norway has no photograph upload and no counter route for a submitted print for an ordinary passport or national identity card. The picture is taken in the police biometric kiosk when you attend your appointment. The single exception is the nodpass, the emergency passport, where you bring a colour photograph taken by a photographer or in a photo booth that meets the police facial photo requirements. Prices from 1 January 2026: 840 kroner for a passport from sixteen, 510 below, 1,320 for an emergency passport, and 1,340 for a passport and identity card bought together from sixteen.
Questions about Norway photos
When does Norway let me bring my own photo?
For a nodpass, the emergency passport, and only then. It has to be taken by a photographer or in a photo booth and meet the police facial photo requirements.
Why does the emergency passport cost more than an ordinary one?
It is priced at 1,320 kroner at any age as of 1 January 2026, against 840 for an ordinary adult passport. It is also excluded from the combined discount.
Can I keep my glasses on in the police kiosk?
No. Norway excludes glasses outright, with no exception for clear or non-reflective lenses, which is stricter than its Nordic neighbours.
How do I hold my baby in front of the white screen?
The police suggest holding a portable white screen against your chest with the child in front of it. You may hold the child, but no part of you may appear in the picture.
Is there a discount for a passport and an ID card together?
Yes, 20 percent. From sixteen the pair is 1,340 kroner rather than 1,680. The discount does not apply to an emergency passport or an extra passport.
Why must my hair be behind my ears?
Because both ears have to be fully visible, alongside both eyes and both eyebrows. The instruction to pull hair back is published, not inferred.
Where these numbers come from
Secondary sourceThe issuing authority does not publish these numbers in a form we can cite directly. They come from a reputable secondary source and are marked as such.
- Om pass og ID-kortchecked September 2, 2026
- Kvalitetskrav til ansiktsfoto i pass og nasjonale ID-kort (PDF)checked September 2, 2026
- Nyfodte og babyer - pass og ID-kortchecked September 2, 2026
- Nodpasschecked September 2, 2026
Reviewed by Editorial teamHow we check our numbers